Anterograde amnesia with oral lorazepam

The use of intravenous benzodiazepines often results in amnesia for events subsequent to drug administration (anterograde amnesia). To asses the effects of oral administration, a single 2 mg dose of lorazepam was given to 6 normal subjects. No substantial effect on immediate recall of word lists was seen in comparison with 6 placebo control subjects. However, the active drug significantly hindered the delayed recall of words. These findings indicate that lorazepam, taken orally as a daytime tranquilizer, can have amnestic action.